Like New York and Chicago before it, Los Angeles has become the latest major city to ban the use of electronic cigarettes in public places. E-cigarettes are now treated like regular cigarettes, with their use prohibited in spaces such as parks, restaurants and workplaces.

"If this device turns out to be safe, then we can always undo the ordinance," Councilwoman Nury Martinez said. "But if this device proves not to be safe, we cannot undo the harm this will create on the public health."

E-cig regulation continues to be contentious because of the lack of a FDA consensus on vaping. The consequences compared to regular cigarette smoking remain unclear—ban proponents say that its a public health issue, ban opponents believe that regulators are jumping to conclusions.

As one vendor told the Los Angeles Times, "Regulating them would take away a lot of the enjoyment we have in smoking them." That's true, and it's also the point.